Night in the Forsaken Barrows
by He-Jay
Summary: Hanging around a cemetery where zombies pop out every other day is a rather stupid thing to do, especially on Halloween nights. But then again, is there really a choice? It's a Halloween Special.
1. Let's go

Halloween special, despite that it's still over a week away. Ooh la la~

* * *

"Trick or treat! Trick or treat!" The cheerful voices rose in the autumn sky as packs of little children dressed in outlandish outfits paraded through the streets. The moon was at its fullest, illuminating the red leaves and candy wrappers on the ground.

"So tell me, what is the point of this occasion again?" Asin asked in a bored tone.

"From what I recall, it's said that every mid-autumn, the barrier that keeps our world, Aernas, and the world of the dead, Haros, weakens, allowing the dead souls to roam our world just for one night. To ensure that we won't be harmed by them, we dress ourselves up to make ourselves unrecognizable to the dead spirits by disguising ourselves." Lire explained.

"Elves celebrate this as well?"

"Of course not, the way we do is quite different from that of humans. But this 'Halloween' does seem interesting." Ryan chuckled, fingering a chocolate bar.

"Pah! I have been in Haros numerous times, and pathetic demons and spirits attempt escape every day, whether it is mid-autumn or not." Lupus snorted as brushed off a speck of dust off his sleeve.

"They're legends, stories that have been created by humans to pass the time. A waste."

"Like you demons in Elyos had anything better to do, demon boy?" Sieghart taunted.

"Do not mock me with that filthy mouth of yours, Highlander, lest you would have me rip it out."

"Yeah?"

"Shut it, Gramps." The Red Knight stormed in and whacked his head. "If you want to fight, do it outside; you destroyed half of Bermesiah last time!"

"Hey, everyone!" Lime came in, dragging her giant hammer, "Why don't we go trick-or-treating?"

"We can't." Elesis stood up and crossed her arms, her sword jangling against her belt. "Knight Master ordered us to act as security patrols, to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Aww...please, Lady Ernasis– I mean, Elesis?" she pouted. Even after spending some time with the Chase, the Holy Knight couldn't quite forget that the Red Knight looked almost exactly like one of her revered deities. After all, both of them were leaders, too.

"A lot of people might try to do something funny at a night like this; we have to keep an eye out. But Knight Master promised to give us treats tomorrow." Elesis looked around; everyone seemed set. "Is everyone ready? Everyone knows their positions? All right, move out!"

The Knight Master had stationed every Chaser into groups of two or three in every section. Elesis and Lime were at the towns near the Den of the Gorgos; it has been long since abandoned, but Knight Master was not one to take any chances.

Zero and Mari were near Forgotten City ("I would like to study the remnants of the lost civilization, although the mechanisms may be cruder compared to those of Kounat...") Ley and Ryan were stationed at the Gorge of Oath, as they could fly should they be stupid enough to fall over the cliffs ("Just stay out of my way, elf.")

Sieghart was assigned for Marsh of Oblivion ("Heh, it's about time I went on a mission without the little freaks.") ("WHAT?!") ("Now, except for you, Red...") Amy and Jin were at the Orc Temple (Jin's thoughts: "YES!") Lire, Lass, and Rufus were assigned Elven Forest, as they were the few that could waver through the trees unhindered by their weapons. Arme, Ronan, and Dio were near Gaikoz's Castle ("Why am I assigned such a worthless piece of crap to patrol?") ("If you wish to change, then you may do Trial Forest.") ("...") That left two of the newest recruits, Rin and Asin, to patrol the towns near Forsaken Barrows. The other towns were guarded by soldiers, hand-picked by the Master.

Rin hadn't been assigned many missions, so she smiled sweetly and bowed, "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

The Knight Master smiled; the girl was sweet, yet naïve. Too naïve. She only hoped she made the right choice by assigning Asin (who was strong, but creepy even for her) to watch over her.

"Your Grand Chase necklaces will beep five times when the mission is complete. Be on your guard!"

"Yes, Knight Master!"

* * *

"Wow, pretty lady! What are you dressed up as?" A little boy dressed up in a white shirt and black pants decorated with flames with a piece of cloth wrapped around his head asked her.

"Me? I'm...a goddess!" she beamed, but there was a flicker of sadness in her turquoise eyes as she said it. "And what are you?"

"I am Jin! Of the Silver Knights!" He punched the air then drooped a tiny bit, "I don't have his red hair though..."

"Is that so?" Asin stepped forward, grinning his trademark creepy smile. "Why are you dressed up as him?"

"Well, because he's strong, awesome, and can kick really high–"

"Is that so? But I should tell you that I am much stronger–" Rin hurriedly shoved the lavender-haired boy aside.

"Don't listen to that man, he is...very tired today. Here you go!" By pure luck, she had a handful of candy inside her pocket, which she stuffed into the child's hand.

"Wow, thanks, pretty goddess! Happy Halloween!" The boy waved, and then trotted away, his bag bulging with sweets.

"Happy Halloween, 'Jin.'" She smiled as she waved back.

"So...enjoying yourself, _goddess?_" The Phoenix spun around, to face the Disciple leaning casually against a tombstone.

She frowned, but she didn't want to argue with him; after all, this was a mission. "We weren't sent here to bully little kids."

"Calm down, I was only joking around. You think I'd honestly frighten a little kid?"

"Yes."

"Straightforward, aren't you?" He smirked, undaunted.

"I'm going ahead. You can keep your guard here." Huffing, she stalked off.

"Now, don't be like that." he easily walked beside her. "I'm nice when I want to be~"

A chilly wind whipped through the town, making the Phoenix shudder.

"Hm? Is the goddess cold? I thought you wouldn't feel stuff like that, being a goddess and all…"

"I'm the _reincarnation_ of a goddess, not an actual one." She snapped. "I'm still human."

"Funny, I thought goddesses didn't die. Possessed, insane or weakened maybe, like those in Xenia, but die?"

Rin gritted her teeth. "No, they don't die."

"Oh? Then why–"

"Sorry, that was wrong. They're not supposed to die." She had never known the truth of her divine heritage until she was fifteen, though it did explain why everyone treated her so kindly and why even the winds seemed to obey her as a child. For now, the darkness inside her was a dormant presence, but it still waited for the moment it would break free of the seal and wreak havoc once more. She tried not to think too much about what would happen if the seal _was_ broken; after all, even the combined power of Ernasis, Lisnar, and Armenian couldn't defeat the Malevolent Horde. "But this one did."

"I see." He replied back indifferently as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Hmm? What's this?" He came upon a puddle of an unrecognizable yet black fluid that was splattered on the ground, like blood. His eyes traced the trail of the liquid…right into the heart of Forsaken Barrows. "Ew…" Rin grimaced.

"I have a feeling that's not grape juice."

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." The girl said in disgust. "But it radiates a strong demonic aura. Shall we go after it?"

"No, I think we should just lounge around here, waiting for something to happen."

"What?" She turned, eyes startled. "Why?"

Asin face-palmed; this stupid girl didn't even understand the concept of sarcasm. "Let's just go–"

"_Aah!_ Someone help me! Please!" A woman's voice pierced the air. The pair froze in their tracks.

"You go help the lady; I'll go after this…thing." Asin pointed to the slimy path.

"No, you go to her, I can handle this." Before he could retort, the white-haired girl was already speeding past the rotting woods and graves.

The Disciple gave an exasperated sigh. "Why am I always stuck with the boring tasks?" Nonetheless, he set off.

* * *

Problem #01 I have with writing: Way. Too. Freaking. Long. Even what starts as a freaking one-shot now extends to three chapters. #$%. But I will finish this before Halloween, hopefully.


	2. Why did we go?

Rin had walked through the barrows for quite some time now, the evil aura becoming stronger and stronger. No monsters or the undead had approached her, and she could hear nothing except for the screaming wind as it whipped through the sky. The eerie silence unnerved her, making her more nervous, putting her senses on high alert. She treaded cautiously, careful to walk around the trail of black slime.

She was still relatively new to the Chase, yet she got on surprisingly well with the others. Elesis was blunt and tough with her, but she was like that to everyone (except for Ronan, maybe.) Lire, Arme, and Amy adored her innocence and "cuteness", and Jin, Ronan and Ryan were nice enough to her. Then there were the others (Lass, Mari, Zero, Dio, Ley, Rufus) that practically ignored everyone except for a select few, and she learned not to mind that too much.

Sieghart was indolent and talked in a crude manner, but he was a good fighter. Lime was perhaps more innocent and cheerful than her, and Asin...well, he annoyed the crap out of everyone with his sly smile and devious trickery, but his two favourite victims were: Jin and Rin. Jin, because he felt he had some personal grudge against him for having the same master, and Rin, because she was so ridiculously innocent to the point of downright stupidity (so was Lime, but she wielded an oversized hammer with ease and Asin wanted to live, not be turned into a pancake, while Rin used a puny fan) and she never fought back with her team-mates, always being pleasant to everyone, even if some didn't return the same cordiality. And yet…

_**SKREEEEE!**_

"Blessed Agnesia, what was that?" The phoenix looked around, but no sound came after the inhuman shriek. She was obviously scared out of her wits, and now she wouldn't have minded the company of the foxy boy, annoying as he was, but she was a Grand Chaser. And the Grand Chase didn't back down so easily. She forced herself to move on, her heart hammering away.

After a while of walking up ahead, she caught a flicker of purplish light...a figure, shrouded with magic, with what looked like a giant cauldron with a foul stench emanating from it. The slime trail ended just inches before the figure, proving him (or her, Rin couldn't tell) the source of the evil.

"What is this?" She demanded angrily, drawing out her fan, readying a glyph in the other.

"Welcome." a crackly male voice rasped. "I have been waiting for you to come."

"What are you doing? I do not know who you are, but you radiate a malicious aura. Explain yourself."

The figure chuckled as he circled the black pot. "I am only an honest mage, seeking to find what was stolen from me. My wife...my beautiful beloved, who had done nothing to deserve such an early death! I tried to bring her back, but they didn't understand." He grinned manically. "They never understood the love I had for her, calling my efforts an abomination. Abomination, indeed!

"True, I had to pay a heavy price, but what can one gain without sacrifice? I had failed many a time, but with you here, I will succeed, and we will never be parted again. The souls before have failed, but I sense a divine essence of life within you. Together, we will bring back my love!" He offered a thickly gloved hand.

The glyph faded, and Rin took a wary back-step. "Then you...you...killed people?!"

"Only with purpose! But they are not enough; I have sent my followers to bring more souls to help me complete the ritual. I must beg you to wait a bit longer, they shouldn't be long now– ugh!" He stepped back, confused. "Why did you do that?"

"What do you think?" Rin readied another glyph, the bright light pulsing against her hand. "I don't want any more people to disappear! They have done nothing to you! And do you think your wife would want this? To come back as the undead–"

"Silence! You don't even know what she wants!" He ripped off his hood and gloves, revealing to be a...a Lich, tainted with darkness from dabbling in necromancy, driven mad by his lost love. "I have no wish to do this by force. But if you won't help me, I will just have to force it out of you!" With that, he aimed a Lightning Bolt for the girl.

"I will stop your madness, Necromancer! Light's Slash!"

* * *

"Don't try to stop us, fox-boy." One of the burly men sneered as he tucked a wailing child under his arm. "Or I'll kill this 'un." He aimed a blade at the child's face.

"Oh?" He sent a flurry of feet towards the man, who yelled and lost his hold on the youngster. He then kicked sideways, knocking him over as he carried the child to safety. "I beg to differ. See, some lady is whining for her child, and how else would I shut her up?"

"Ugh…flamin' bastard…get 'im!" He yelled to his cronies, who began to charge towards Asin.

He sighed, "I hate dealing with the small fry…"

[Some time later]

"Now, go back to your master like a good dog, hm?" He smiled as he released his grip on the last man's collar, letting him flop to the ground. All the others were strewn across the floor, KO'd.

"Ya little…" the survivor made no attempt to fight back, racing away like a roadrunner.

Asin chuckled, then turned to the child. "Wow mister, you're really strong!" His fear replaced with awe, he looked up, eyes sparkling. Asin now recognized him; he was the same kid that dressed up as Jin. "Where is the pretty goddess? Wasn't she with you?"

"She's…doing what a goddess does, I suppose." But as he looked down, he saw the same black trail that she had followed leaking from the thugs. But he wasn't concerned (yet); the little goddess said she could handle it. But maybe he did ought to check up on her. "I have to go now, kid. Go back to your mom, she's been screaming for you this whole time."

"Okay! Thank you mister!"

"And now to finally do something fun..." he murmured as he took off after the slimy path.

* * *

Yeah, I know, it looks a lot like the plotline from Gaikoz. But hey, that samurai just went nuts, never tried to restore his love. I honestly had no clue about the similarities till one of my friends pointed it out ^_^"


	3. No go

Hi, remember in the first chapter I said I'd extend this to three chapters? Surprise, surprise, it's going to be four! :D

* * *

"You have divine power, girl-child." The Lich sneered. "The celestial power in your soul is perfect for my plan. I don't even need the others."

"You must put an end to this destruction." she breathed heavily as she readied another glyph sphere. This was clearly no ordinary Lich; the evil taint within him had festered for so long, his power rivaled those of the monsters she had met Archimedia. "You will destroy everyone, including yourself!"

"Again with the garbage talk!" he screeched. "Will no one ever understand? You leave me no choice!" He drove his staff into his cauldron, causing the mixture inside to froth and bubble. Within seconds, hordes of Skeleton-zombies began clawing their way out of the vessel, moaning disjointedly. They began plodding towards a horrified Rin, arms stretched out for her.

The Lich cackled wildly. "Halloween. The perfect night to conjure dead souls."

She fought back, hurling glyph after glyph, yet more kept on coming, bound with so much dark magic that even the Malevolent Horde sealed within her body were beginning to shift. She was in Fatal Mode, and she had just hurled her last glyph. She needed to end this. "Purifi–" A hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her down, as more and more undead hands erupted out of the filthy earth, binding her down, forcing her to open her hand, dropping the fan.

"That's it, hold her down." The Lich drifted closer to the struggling girl. "Your life and purity will help me rebuild what I have lost, and you will be part of something greater. Why do you not see it?"

"Let _go!_" She released a crackle of spiritual energy from her hands, making the hands retreat back to the ground. Despite that she needed her fan to direct her power properly, she could release a modicum of her power through her bare hands when necessary. Quickly, she sprang back, snatching back her precious weapon. "Your love is dead, resting in the Netherworld. Do you really think you're doing good by attempting to bring her back into a world where she no longer belongs?"

The Lich hung his head, "So, you will never understand either..." For a moment, he actually looked crushed. But when he looked up, a new fire had kindled in his maniacal eyes. "Skeletons, bind her! Dead or alive, she will bring back my wife!"

"If I must, you certainly won't take me alive!" Rin was still in fatal, with only three glyphs charged, but she wouldn't give in without a fight. Her breath coming in gasps, she raised her fan; "Final Flash of–"

"_No!_" The Lich swiped out a crescent beam of dark energy, which hit the Phoenix directly on her chest. She sprawled across the ground, unmoving, face-down.

The Lich lowered his staff, his rage ebbing away into satisfaction. He snapped impatiently at his Skeleton minions to apprehend the girl, who began to grasp her arms and haul the limp body across the ground.

"Don't drag her like that, fools!" The Lich screeched. "Her soul must not be too severely injured!"

"Nah, I'd say let her get scraped up. Goddess girl did say she could handle it." A snide voice piped up from the nearby tombstones. Asin walked in, dragging the limp body of the thug which he had effectively tracked while brushing the hair out of his eyes.

"And who might you be?"

Asin didn't reply, instead sprinting towards the Skeletons, who immediately dropped the girl and went into their battle stances. But before they had time to react, he had slinked around the horde and grabbed his real target; he kicked the Skeletons out of his way as he slung Rin over his shoulder. "Gods, woman, what do you eat? Bricks?" he muttered.

"Hey!" The Phoenix (who was very much alive) whacked him on the head with her fan. "That is no way to speak to a lady! And _put me down!_"

"And she wakes. You know I just saved your life, right?"

"You idiot! I was only pretending to be out cold so I could purify him!"

"Oh." He scratched his head. "Well you could have– yow!" Using the boy's chest as a springboard, Rin leapt away from him, snapping open her fan and creating a gust of wind, knocking out a flock of undead warriors who had been aiming for the purple head. She glared, then huffed, "Now we're sort of even. So, shall we begin?"

"Just try not to die." He smirked, kicking away another monster.

The Lick obviously didn't like being ignored. "Get her! Bring her to me, whatever it takes!" He waved his wand, and the area was suddenly filled with packs of Orc Zombies, Pumpkin Heads, bony Skeletons, and human zombies, their vacant eyes set on Rin.

"Well, aren't you awfully popular around here, little goddess."

"Shut up!" The Phoenix was clearly harassed beyond her limits. Asin only grinned as he slammed his leg into the ribcage of a skeleton, smashing it to pieces.

But the Lich kept summoning more and more monsters, cackling madly. "So she is a goddess child? So the divinity I sense from her is no illusion, then." He sneered. "You minions are worthless, I shall get her myself!" And he began to glide towards her like a moth drawn to flame, albeit much quicker, knocking skeletons and zombies out of the way.

"Nah, I can't agree with that." Asin said. Rin stifled a blush with little success; was he trying to protect her? So he was nice...sort of...

"Although it'd be interesting to see her running about. Little idiot said she could 'handle this.'"

Never mind, he wasn't nice at all. She whacked him with her fist; she was no martial artist, but she could give a mean punch when provoked. "Ow!"

"I will handle this on my own, so go away! _Storm's Eye!_" She darted around with a startling quickness, slashing her fan. However, it was odd; she merely knocked down the Skeleton, never whacking too hard to crush the fragile bones or the rotting limbs. She swung back her arm to strike the Lich, and–

"_Night Slash!_" A black crescent beam exploded from the Lich, knocking the Phoenix on the stomach. Her eyes widened in surprise and pain as she was blasted backwards, her head bashing onto a gravestone, the decaying mineral cracking in half at the impact.

"Hey...goddess?" Asin turned, his eyebrows crinkling the slightest bit in worry. The Lich aimed another attack for her, his staff crackling with dark energy. "Uh, now would be a great time to drop the act and get out of the way..."

"Fool. Now she is truly out cold, and now I will draw out her divine essence!" The Lich muttered a mad enchantment as something white and wispy began to draw out of the Phoenix, who began to look paler and paler.

"I don't think so; see, she's with me." The boy, whose face was always composed in a foxy grin that barely showed his eyes, now opened his eyes to the merest of slits. "_Eastern Rain!_"

"W-what?" All the monsters were now being dragged towards the Disciple by an unseen force, including the Lich. And why was it raining all of a sudden? He turned just in time to see a sizzling ball of blue energy materializing in the boy's hands. "Oh–"

Boom.

"–shit." Asin finished. "You were going to say that, right?" Dusting his hands neatly onto the side, he ran to the slumped form of the goddess. "I didn't think you were the type to be knocked out so easily..."

"I'm *huff* not." she raised her head up slowly, half her hair falling onto her face, blue eyes set in determination. "Who do *gasp* you take me for?"

"At any case, not a weakling. Who knows, a few weeks and I might even consider you slightly above average." Putting his trademark smile back into place, he offered her his hand, which was gratefully accepted despite the unnecessary remark. In the end, that was just Asin.

"Right. And...thanks." Then she turned abruptly. "Where's the Lich?"

* * *

Last chapter will be uploaded soon, hopefully before 31. Phew...  
Oh, and please tell me if I've butchered the characters' personalities too much. I didn't mean to :)


	4. Don't go

Without the Necromancer's magic, the monsters were no longer possessed, but they continued to edge towards Rin as close they could (they saw the power of the purple-haired fox boy, and they didn't want to be fried again), this time with an air of desperation instead of the malicious aura. They seemed to be pleading...

"They want to be free." she murmured."Their souls...the Necromancer had corrupted them into these wretched forms, tainting them with his spells." She raised a hand encloaked in light; the monsters drew towards it, their hands/claws frantically reaching for the flickering light. "They want to be cleansed so they can move on." She sounded cheerless...perhaps even envious?

"...I will purify them." She walked over to the lifeless for Lich. "Poor man..."

"The Lich is a man?"

"Was." she corrected. "He lost his love and went insane trying to restore her. If he dies like this...he'll be punished in Hell for eternity."

"So let him suffer. How many people did he kill to achieve something that couldn't be gained?"

"But he suffered too..."

"By his own choice." Asin kept smiling, but there was a hard edge to his voice. "He inflicted pain on innocent people just to fulfill his selfish wishes."

"And sending him to eternal Hell will revive back the dead?" She turned away and closed her eyes, her fan stretched out.

"Souls of the dead and the dark, your time has come. Allow me to purify you so you may be restored." The undead creatures shuffled towards her closer.

"_Purification!_" She twirled up, emanating a mystical blue aura as her two unequal wings unfurled from her back, lifting her up to the sky. Then a powerful, healing light burst from the Phoenix, engulfing the wretched monsters in white. Through the beams of light, Asin could make out the faint silhouette of the zombies and skeletons; they were morphing, reverting back to what they once were, devoid of the evil that had corrupted and sustained them. Now liberated, they faded away from this world, finally able to rest.

Most of them vanished immediately, but a few stooped down to thank the goddess, smiling in gratitude before leaving. Their power of speech had been long since gone, but no words were needed to express their thanks.

The Lich was the last one to rise, slowly rising as if awaking from a dream. The light peeled off the last of his darkness, revealing a poor, battered mage.

"I...have failed..." He turned his face away. "I cannot join her even in death."

"You have not failed." Rin said. "Enter the Underworld as what you once were, not the hideous creature you have turned to. Take solace in the knowledge that you will finally join your lover in eternal rest."

The mage did not respond as he stared at the Phoenix with unblinking eyes. As his figure became fainter and fainter, he reached out a hand to the goddess; a non-threatening gesture. She stayed still as the mage sighed, "...her...you remind me of her...she was so kind and forgiving too..."

Her purification complete, Rin slowly descended onto the ground, though her shining wings remained. The spirit remained airborne, the last bits of his existence fading away as he mouthed two final words: "Thank you..."

And with that, he was gone. The moon seemed to shine brighter.

The light finally faded, and the wings furled back into her, dissolving into her skin. For a moment it looked as if she was going to lose her balance and collapse, but she remained steady.

"That was a nice show, with the visual effects and all." Asin said as he stepped out, but inwardly he was surprised. For a moment, it looked as if he was really looking at a legitimate goddess, in all her divine splendour and glory in light. So she actually was a deity reincarnated...hm...

"Shut up! Go away!" she squeaked indignantly.

The Disciple grinned; now that was more like it.

She studied the ground as she said "But…thank you for coming." Her face slightly tinged pink as she became absorbed in rubbing off an imaginary speck of dust on her fan. Was is just his eyes, or did she look more fragile?

_Beep beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeep!_

"Oh, it's over…we should go." Turning, Rin trudged slowly to wards the exit, careful to conceal the tide of fatigue and weakness that was washing over her. At this rate, she'd probably been satisfied sleeping here on the ground, but no. She had a mission to complete, and she would carry it out.

…not that this escaped the keen eye of the lavender-haired boy. Watching her struggle, he strode forward and, "Shall I carry her Majesty home?" masking his worry for her more effectively than Rin's attempt to hide her exhaustion.

"No! It's…fine." She may have been naïve, but she was not weak. After witnessing the destruction of Gaon Village, and her being powerless to prevent it, Rin made sure she would have to depend on others as little as possible. After all, she was a Goddess whose duty was to protect this world from evil, not to be indulged in luxuries and be a burden to others.

Asin could have easily lifted the Phoenix again, but she was determined to walk on her own, and nice or no, the girl wasn't exactly a feather. (Then again, it could have just been him; he wasn't used to carrying anything heavier than his armguard.) Keeping closely behind, the two made their way out of the haunted cemetery at a snail's pace, all the way back to the castle. Once or twice it looked like she was going to reel over, but somehow she managed to keep it steady.

"You know, I _can_ carry you for a little while, goddess." He said more than once.

"It's fine!" She replied every time.

* * *

"You two are quite late." Knight Master looked up, her arms crossed.

"I'm sorry!" Rin bowed her head apologetically. Asin merely shrugged, indifferent.

The whole Chase had once more assembled in the great room, sitting on the couch, leaned against the wall, etc. Elesis stood in rapt attention before the Knight Master, while Arme, Lime, and Ryan were sprawled on the first couch, lightly arguing over who should have the most space. Ronan also stood respectfully (as a Knight, that was his protocol) Sieghart was lazily spread on an armchair, snoring lightly. Amy had already fallen asleep on the second sofa, snoozing away as she clung tightly to Jin, who blushed furiously but looked pleased all the same. Strangely, Mari and Zero were sitting together by the fireplace, him listening to Grandark, her absent-mindedly tinkering with a couple of deactivated Paraminimies and the pieces of a giant Paradom.

Lupus was leaning against the left wall, grumbling as he tried to pluck the twigs and leaves out of his hair with little success, often shooting a dirty glare at his half-brother and the elf, who were very obviously looking away from the glowering demon and immersed in conversation while Lire held a cluster of pretty flowers in her hands, smiling happily. Dio was just…there, wearing his default glare towards the "filthy-mouthed Highlander", and Ley was curled up in a lavish sofa her butler Jeeves had conjured from nowhere, propping her head up with her elbow. Most of them looked flushed and excited, having had their own adventures in their respective places.

"Where have you been? Is everything all right?"

"We were attacked by a group of thugs, nothing special." Asin replied, bored.

The Master glared, then sighed. "Very well…I trust you've succeeded. You have done Bermesiah a great service, Chasers. As promised…" She clapped her hands, and a dozen soldiers rushed in, carrying a gigantic orange vat with a pumpkin smiley face etched on the surface, and set it on the ground with a loud _THUD_ that jolted everyone awake. Upon looking inside, eyes popped wide open; the pot was filled to the brim with sweet confections, sugared candies, and delicate chocolates encased in colourful wrappers. For a moment, there was awed silence.

"Enjoy. Happy Halloween." She smiled appreciatively before striding out the doorway, her boots clicking against the tiled floor.

As soon as the Chase was positive that the Knight Master was beyond hearing distance, complete chaos ensued. Elesis, Lime and Arme immediately dived inside the pot, with Amy (now wide awake) dragging a protesting Jin in pursuit. Sieghart, disrupted from his nap, now awakened to a full-scale candy battle, and got pelted with several rock-hard candy balls by Dio before his Rage Mode activated and joined in the fight, snarling like a feral animal and accidentally slamming poor Ronan into a pool of liquid liquorice (the only candy that Arme hated, so she melted them away) Ryan, who had absolutely no idea what was going on, was suddenly kicked out of the way by Ley, who was holding a bag of malt balls and sitting back, enjoying the show.

"I told you to stay out of my way, elf." She snapped.

Then Ryan threw an unwrapped packet of 'Explosive Chocolate Pumpkin Heads– Warning: Explodes upon direct contact', right for the demon's face. Luckily, Jeeves quickly swatted it away from his mistress, which then sailed…right onto Lupus's head, which the demon had finally managed to purge the last of the leaves and twigs from his shiny golden hair.

Boom!

The others were now interested in nothing but getting out of the battlefield as quickly as possible: Mari used her rocket booster to zoom out of the room, her Paraminimies safely stowed in her pocket, Lire and Lass had quickly disappeared, and as for Zero…well, being an artificial being and therefore having a low tolerance for sweets and all, he had the unfortunate luck to try out one of 'Elena's Cream-Filled Sweet Drops' despite Grandark's objections, which happened to have an extremely high dose of sugar. So he was now on the ground, his usually pale face now flushed bright red, and mumbling incoherently while Grandark angrily yelled and yelled at its wielder for his incompetence.

Normally, Rin would be willing to join such fun events like these, but today she just stared, then quickly ran out, stumbling over stray candy pieces. Her purification was a skill she used sparingly; not only did it consume a great amount of energy, the Horde sealed within her took every opportunity to torment her and taunt her in her moments of weakness. She had to rest.

Asin simply watched the battle, but when he saw the Phoenix shakily exit the room, he decided to follow, stopping only to grab the ends of Jin's headband, stopping him from plunging into Sieghart and Dio, who were re-enacting the great battle they had several centuries ago with gummy worms.

"That's twice I saved your life, fool." He chuckled before escaping the warzone.

* * *

Using the wall as a support, Rin dragged her body towards her room, which was near the end of the hallway. Her stomach was in knots and she felt sick.

"So goddesses can get sick too?"

Rin didn't bother to turn. "I told you…I'm still…human…" She continued to trek through the hallway, which seemed to stretch out endlessly before her.

Asin stared at the Phoenix for a while, then strode forward and once again, slung the girl over his shoulder, who gave a squeak of surprise.

"Put me down!" she protested faintly.

"No go, goddess." He smirked as he jogged down the corridor. "Even if you do eat bricks, I can walk much faster."

"Hmph." she pouted, but she gave an inward sigh of relief; she didn't know how longer she could hold. Sighing, she closed her eyes.

In no time, the duo reached the door to the Phoenix's room. "Goddess, we're here. You can get down now." He audaciously smacked her rear, then blinked at her unresponsiveness. Wasn't she the goddess of life and _purity_? She wouldn't stay this still unless…

"…Rin?"

* * *

"_You are weak, Agnesia." They taunted. "No matter what form you take, or how many times you are reborn, even you can sense the seal is weakening." Black murky clouds circled her form, chucking darkly._

"_And when the seal is broken, hm? What shall you do? You will be powerless, what with the human blood tainting your divinity, and I will be free." The voice turned coaxing, urgent. "Your human body would be too frail to withstand my release, and you will die. Release the seal, and we will work together to take Aernas."_

_Rin shook her head fiercely; in her mind's eye she could see the flashbacks of the destruction that the Horde had caused, having no goal other than the desire to destroy. "You saved Aernas, and how did the people thank you? They blotted you out from the pages of history, stripping your title and holiness, your deed so quickly forgotten. Did any of your sisters Ernasis, Lisnar, and Armenian lift one finger to prevent it from happening?"_

"Get up…"

"_Shut your mouth!" She cried, not as Rin, but as Agnesia. "You cannot sway me with your empty offers, foolish demon. I will continue to be reborn to this world as long as it keeps you at bay!"_

"Get up…"

"_As you command, Light and Pure One." The Horde bowed in mock respect. "But as to who is the real fool is questionable…" and the murky clouds reluctantly withdrew._

"Rin, get up!"

"Huh..?" She blearily opened her eyes.

She was in her room, lying on her bed with a bag of ice sitting on her forehead. Her body felt warm, but the pain wasn't as sharp as it was before. She looked around, and saw Asin sitting on _her_ chair, in _her_ room. "What are you doing here?" she blushed.

"As you can see, sitting." For a second, she thought she saw a hint of anxiety in his eyes, but perhaps that was just the sickness acting on her. "The other purple midget just healed you."

Rin refused to be sidetracked. "Why are you here in my room? I thought my door was locked!"

"You passed out." He said simply. "Carried you here, though it felt like my arms were going to break." He teased. "And as for your door, I picked the lock."He shrugged.

Her face now turned a fiery red, which could have rivalled Elesis's hair. "You broke into my room?!"

"Would you rather be in my room?" He raised his eyebrows. When the Phoenix didn't respond, he stood up. "I'm gonna go now." With that he turned to leave.

"W-wait…" She suddenly grabbed the end of his shirt. "Don't go."

Asin immediately skidded to a stop; _Don't go?_

She looked stunned at her own action. "I'm sorry." She adjusted herself into a sitting position, and let her hand drop. "Thank you."

Now Asin was really confused. He thought she hated him just like the others and their distrustful glares, but here she was apologizing and thanking him. As far as he knew, no human had said that to him before. His brain, which was usually chocking full of sarcastic words and witty comebacks, now went blank. His hand delved into his pocket.

"Here." He fished a small wrapped mini-cake from his pocket, which was slightly crushed, and held it out to Rin. "The idiots ate all the other candy." He leaned forward and dropped the sweet into her hands, then smiling at her, he leaned forward. "You're cute when you blush."

"What?" She looked up, her face turning redder. Their faces were only inches apart now. "You–" _Click._

Her white hair which was usually clipped to the side now fell down past her shoulders in loose strands. Asin now stood up, toying with her orange hair tie. "So you _do_ have a big stomach…why else would you carry around a pair of golden chopsticks in your hair?"

Although the 'golden chopsticks' were certainly not used for eating, Rin yelled hotly, "That's mine!"

"So I've noticed."

"Give it back!"

"Nah, you look nicer with your hair down. Besides, you need a diet." Asin laughed; this girl was so fun to tease. "I'll take the cake back too." Rin smacked his hand away as she threw off her covers and jumped onto her feet. "Give back my clip or I'll…I'll blast you over!"

"Now, now, a goddess shouldn't say such crude things." He opened the door. "And whatever you do, wouldn't you have to catch me first…hm?"

* * *

Arme and Ryan were walking in the forest, silently enjoying the beauty of nature, when they heard a series of banging and pounding of feet coming from the castle. The sounds quickly passed by, ending with Rin's furious scream fading away in the distance. The elf and mage immediately stopped in their tracks.

"What just happened? Who were they?"

"That sounded like the new ones…Rin, and...Asin. Wait, Asin? That guy was laughing?" Arme gaped, aghast at the thought.

"And I thought that you said the girl was sick. Why was she running and screaming?"

"Asin must have done something again…well whatever it is, it shouldn't be serious." She sighed in exasperation.

"Interesting…Never thought the girl would be like Elesis, running and yelling. Must be some kind of post-Halloween ritual?"

Arme shrugged, clueless. "No idea. The new recruits in Grand Chase have some bizarre rituals, then."

Ryan laughed, "Well, whatever they do, doesn't matter. Let's just enjoy the sun, there's not going to be much of it soon." He picked a stray leaf from the purple head, making her giggle and blush.

"I like sunny autumn days, too." The couple walked on, blissfully oblivious to the brawl happening in the castle.

"Okay, okay, you definitely don't need a diet, you run fast enough. I'll give you back your chopsticks– ow!"

"Oh, don't run, Asin~ as a goddess of purity, I'll have to purify you so you won't say any vulgar things to anyone else~! Now get back here!"

_End_

* * *

And that wraps it up (this chapter is longer than the other chapters combined, #$%&!) *Shrugs* I had wanted to write this for a while, and now that this is over and out of the way, I'll work harder on my current story! :D Yaaay!


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